Galaxies

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Transcript of Galaxies

photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli Elliptical Galaxy smaller "dwarf elliptical" galaxies are less than one tenth of the milky way! Size Distance from earth Features the stars are very close together making the centre look like one big star Spiral Galaxy smooth, oval shaped appearance made up of mostly old stars elliptical galaxies can vary in size larger ones can be up to a million light-years in diameter! Distance from earth The closest giant elliptical galaxy from earth is: Centaurus A 11 million light-years from Earth Composition Types of stars and age consists of very old stars very little gas & dust halo (contains old stars and dark matter) red & blue stars that do not last for very long amount of stars = 3 thousand up to billions which means there is little star formation Features known for its spiral shape consists of a flat, rotating disk with surrounding spirally arms Combustion there are lots of interstella clouds of gas and dust this means they have many new star formations glactic halo Size In diameter spirals range from: 10,000 to over 300,000 light-years and mass: from about one billion to 500 billion solar masses The Milky Way is an example of a spiral galaxy Our Galaxy The Milky Way Galaxy consits of 200 to 400 billion stars But it is not the biggest spiral galaxy known Irregular Galaxy Features they can look like anything known for not being shaped like a spiral or ellipse appear misshapen and lack a distinct form Size They can vary in size from approximately 1,000 to 20,000 light years in diameter. Distance From Earth Classified as a irregular galaxy, the closest galaxy to the Milky Way is: The Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy This beautiful galaxy consists of: many red giant stars & is thought to contain an estimated one billion stars in all Galaxies, viewed 17 November 2012, <http://cas.sdss.org/dr6/en/>

Image of the Day, November 2012, viewed 17 November 2012, <http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/03/image-of-the-day-the-stunning-geometric-beauty-of-the-milky-ways-nearest-elliptical-neighbor.html>